How very cool that after years of diyurselfers have sliced diced dissected upgraded redesigned deconstructed reconstructed the SE84CS, that the designer of it, who has doubtless tried most of these avenues, decides to upgrade it with a *slightly* different version of the same output tube and to beef up the chassis just a little.

I've listened to a scad of amplifiers, and there is always something to be said regarding the capabilities or drawbacks of any of them, but I think the SE48*** is an amp I may grow old with.

Yes, and I like the fact that there are two incarnations for very different tastes and speakers; 1) CS/ZS - Warm/lush sounding optimized for 4 ohms, and 2) Taboo/TS - transparent/live sounding optimized for 8 ohms.

I'd be willing to bet everyone who's just stated their Select's are not warm and lush but rather just the opposite are not using the 6N1P from the factory tube compliment. Rather you got suckered into more detail and better focus of NOS 6922's and or 6DJ8's. So basically your amps sound the way you made them sound. ;)

Lon, When I say "warm and lush" that's a positive way of my trying to express the effect of the slight "triode bloom" that the CS has in comparison to the TABOO. I'll repeat that... compared to the TABOO. If you have not heard the two amps next to each other as I have, you may not fully understand the difference in how they sound. Both are lovely, just in different ways, and the speakers they are mated to makes a big difference of course. And yes the tubes make a big difference. The cryo treated mil-spec russian tubes gave my TABOO more bloom.

Well when I say detailed and relentless, I said it in a good way. Itís not like Iím stuck with it that way. I have a bucket of tubes and can re-tube how I want.

Steve is right about focus and detail with the 6922. I tried a dozen different 6922/6DJ8ís in the Select and the current one I use is by far the most focused and had the best layering of instruments from back to front within the soundstage. The EV mods increased detail and speed more then anything else, but the input tube polishes the character. The EL84ís is what my Select was modified for. They added more weight and midbass then the SV83ís, the mods gave it back the added detail and speed it might have lost with the EL84ís and the 6922 brought it all into focus.

In comparison to the original tube assortment, my Select is more startling. It has more authority, dynamics a larger soundstage with ALL the detail and nuance you could want (although some want more for whatever reason) and a vocal smoothness that surpasses most amp Ė period!

[quote author=Steve Deckert link=1149544554/15#20 date=1149721775]I'd be willing to bet everyone who's just stated their Select's are not warm and lush but rather just the opposite are not using the 6N1P from the factory tube compliment. Rather you got suckered into more detail and better focus of NOS 6922's and or 6DJ8's. So basically your amps sound the way you made them sound. ;) [/quote]

That's an interesting observation. Maybe it's the principal reason tube amps, or tube gear in general, are so liked: the fact that you can make them sound the way you 'want', means you are less likely to dismiss a product because it has more oppurtunity for change, for you at least.

I always wondered what solid state gear would've been like had you had an easy avenue for rolling transistors; I think I would enjoy certain products more if that was a possibility.

BTW, I like the look of your new chassis, they are more visually encapsulating now. Good job!

First off I hope you guys realize that when I make comments or statements like those in my last post, it is for the lurkers in the forum. You know, say a guy finds Decware, happens into this thread, reads the select is relentless and just keeps walking.

When I read a post I always imagine I am that guy. It motivates many of my responses. 8)

[quote author=Pyewacket link=1149544554/15#26 date=1149774332]Guys, this is really getting my motor going... So with a few tubes, you can taylor the sound of your amp to suit your wants today. How cool is that?

OK Steve, does the MKII react the same way? And to the same degree?

T [/quote]

Indeed. The MKII uses the same family of input tubes and I usually ship them with 6N1P's. Of course the MK II can use a variety of output tubes, each with it's own charactor. EL34's, 6550's, KT77's, KT88's.